The next day.
Morning arrived with a gentle chill. The sky appeared pale, and the air felt crisp enough to pinch Evelyn’s cheeks as soon as she stepped outside.
The trees around the house had started shedding their leaves, exposing thin branches to the cold breeze.
Winter was coming, slowly but unmistakably.
As usual, Evelyn accompanied Axel to the front yard, where his car and Liam were already waiting.
She shivered slightly, but it was impossible not to pause and admire him. Axel looked devastatingly handso in a fitted charcoal suit that hugged him in all the right places.
The cold air only made him look sharper. Strong jaw. Tousled dark hair. A tie she had fixed for him herself.
Her husband looked like the type of man who could ruin entire nations with one glance.
’Okay, this is just my wild imagination, okay. Don’t judge ...’ Evelyn laughed inwardly, hearing her own mind. She would never say that out loud.
However, her thoughts can’t easily leave her.
’Oh God, with such a face and smile, how could anyone not be tempted to steal him away from ? What if sowhere, sohow, soone is plotting to take this man from ?’
Evelyn shook her head imdiately. ’Axel would never betray !’
She knew that deep down, even if her imagination occasionally tried to scare her for entertainnt.
Axel slowed beside the car door, stopping just long enough to catch her staring. His mouth curved into a knowing smile.
"You are looking at like that again," he said in a smooth voice, the kind that could warm her even in the middle of winter.
Evelyn blinked, straightened, and pretended to scratch her eyebrow.
"What look? I was checking if your tie is perfect."
Axel leaned closer.
"My tie is perfect. My wife made sure of it." He let his gaze drop to her lips before rising again to her eyes, and he whispered, "You look very pretty today. It makes question if I really need to go to the office."
Her cheeks heated, but she maintained her composure. Barely.
"Go," she said, gently nudging him toward the car. "If you skip work every ti you think I look pretty, your company will be in trouble..."
He chuckled. "Then I will make you responsible for taking care of ."
"Get in the car, Axel Knight!"
But he didn’t flinch. Instead, he asked, "What is your schedule today?"
"Well, I planned not to go anywhere," She said. "But I got a call from Stella this morning. She sounded serious and a little scared. She wants to et and talk about sothing."
Axel frowned in surprise. "Why not tell her to co here? You two can talk privately."
"She is working at the hospital today. She cannot leave. So I will have lunch with her at Hope dical Center."
Axel nodded slowly. He did not like Evelyn going anywhere without security, but he fought the urge to object. Instead, he gently reminded her, "Take Ryan and Lisa with you."
"I will," she said. "I promise."
He brushed a hand along her cheek, then pulled her into a brief but warm embrace.
Their lips t in a soft kiss, one that lingered just long enough to make the cold morning feel warr.
Then,
Axel opened the car door.
Before stepping in, he gave her one last look.
"Enjoy your day, my love."
"You too," Evelyn replied.
As the car rolled away down the driveway, Evelyn lifted a hand to wave. Axel waved back, smiling through the window.
But the mont the car disappeared behind the outer gates, his smile faded.
He exhaled sharply, his expression shifting from gentle husband to the man he truly was beneath the polished exterior. The one only his enemies feared.
"Liam. Go to the farmhouse."
Liam blinked once, eyes widening briefly in the rearview mirror. "The farmhouse, sir?"
"Hmm! I need to teach my cousin a lesson," Axel said. "Maxi has forgotten his place and needs a strong reminder."
"Understood."
The car changed direction, heading toward the city’s outskirts. The further they drove, the more open fields replaced concrete streets. The wind grew stronger, whistling past the windows.
After several minutes, Liam spoke carefully. "Boss, is this about last night?"
Axel gave a short glance, "Last night?"
"Last night, Ethan suddenly appeared in the basecamp..." Liam said, glancing at his boss through the rearview mirror.
Now Liam understands why Ethan, who rarely cos to this city base, suddenly appears.
"Yes, he captured Maxi! I have been patient long enough." Axel looked out the window. "He ddled again."
Liam had worked with Axel long enough to understand the aning behind those words.
Maxi had always been a troubleso cousin—a man who was too curious, too reckless, and too entitled for his own good. Axel had ignored him for years. But if Axel personally ordered soone to be captured, that ant the last thread of tolerance had snapped.
Liam kept his thoughts to himself. His boss rarely lost patience. When he did, the consequences were never light.
Almost an hour later, they entered Green Farm.
The farmhouse sat quietly in the middle of vast open land, surrounded by the pale colors of early winter. The mont the car parked, Axel stepped out, tightening his long coat as the cold wind hit him.
Ethan stood waiting in the front yard near the door, hands behind his back. The expression on his face was calm, but his eyes betrayed exhaustion.
Axel walked toward him. "How is he?"
Ethan sighed. "Breathing. And talking too. Loud. But I did not lay a hand on him. Maybe just verbally scare him enough to traumatize a little."
As they entered the house, the house felt warm, but silence filled the space.
Only certain people were allowed to be present when he dealt with sothing personally, so most of the n had cleared out.
They walked toward the underground entrance. Ethan typed in the passcode, and the steel door unlocked with a heavy click.
As they descended the stairs, Ethan continued, "He cried a little. Or a lot. Hard to tell. He begged to call his family, but I told him no."
Axel showed no reaction.
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